More than 30 cast and crew members might be left jobless after the alleged possibility of Gqeberha:The Empire being canned. The telenovela which is wrapping its production at the end of this month is said not to be making a comeback and actors are biting their nails in anticipation, waiting for the announcement.

 

UNCERTAINTY

An actor on the show tells ZiMoja that their futures lie in the hands of Tshedza Pictures, the production company responsible for the drama series. “Asazi (we don’t know, we doubt the show is returning. Season two was forced because of the negative publicity it got. They brought it back to try and prove a point, but now the ratings have not been amazing,’ she says. “We have not been updated on the contracts,” the source said.

MOVING ON

The show started on a slippery slope but managed to gain a few numbers, and bagged season two. It made history as the first isiXhosa telenovela shot in the Eastern Cape and unearthed new and fresh talent from the province. But the show is now hanging on by a thread with an average of around 400k viewers and peaked at 580k in May. When they started, actors complained about the ill-treatment, low pay, and sketchy living conditions. “We didn’t do well in all honesty. But the show had a great run. It’s now back to us having to find work. We won’t blame the production. These things happen. That is the nature of the business I am afraid.’ CEO of General Entertainment at MultiChoice Group, Nomsa Piliso says the channel still needs to decide. “We have not made a call as yet on whether or not we will return for season three, but an announcement will be made after the decision.”